Chapter 3: The Showdown of Casters
Gene sat in a bar, drinking some strong beer. He was already slightly drunk but still wanted more. He turned to look at some guy that was sitting at a table staring at him. He had a white cane and black sunglasses on. 'Must be blind. There's no way he can be staring at me,' Gene thought.
"Hey, you at the table," Gene slurred out. "You looking at me."
"Me? You could say I'm staring at you but not at your face."
"Then what?"
"Your conscious. I see something is bothering you," the man said gently. "What is it?"
Gene got up and sat down at the man's table. He didn't understand why he did it but he did it. "You see, I have this duel with some assassin guy named the Blind Man," Gene looked at the man. "It ain't you is it?"
"Of course not. How could I duel when I'm blind?"
"That's what bugs me. He says he can't see and yet he moves like someone I've never seen."
"Maybe he isn't blind."
"Perhaps but what the hell? I'm gonna get wasted and pass out somewhere."
"It isn't good to duel with a hangover."
"How would you know?"
The man took off his glasses, exposing replacement eyes, "Lost my eyes in a duel. I was blinded and the man took my eyes out of my head."
"Do you remember who?"
"Not really. Only that he wore a silver cloth mask and black trench coat."
"You dueled him and lived?"
"Yes, I did."
"Then maybe I got a chance."
"No you don't."
Gene looked at him, "What the hell you talking about? He let you live."
"That's exactly what I mean. He LET me live because he wasn't after my life. Only my eyes."
Gene's face turned grim, "Can you tell me anything about him?"
"Stay quiet. That's all I could tell you. If he is blind, he hears everything. With all of the money he accumulates, it wouldn't surprise me if he bought new eyes or better hearing. He's expensive but lives up to his word to finish the job."
"Why did he come after you?"
"I blinded a man in a fight. Little did I know that the man I fought was the son of a rich guy. The father called for the Blind Man and told him to blind me. As you can see, he did," the man put his sunglasses back on. "My advice is not to let your guard down. He's quick and may seem invincible but he is deadly to the bone. You can always try to get off of the planet. Normally, he doesn't travel but he might not notice if you're going to your ship, if you have one." The man yawned. "Well it is getting late."
"Wait, I need to ask you one more thing," Gene said.
"Yes, son?"
"My friend, she was shot by the Blind Man and is now infected with an unknown virus. Do you know how to treat her?"
"He used a Viral Bullet, a bullet the dissolves on contact with blood. He designed them. What is it doing to her?"
"The doctors think its attacking her nerves."
"Where did he shoot her?"
"In her shoulder."
"She'll be fine. The virus in her isn't going after the nerves, it after her shoulder muscles. She won't be able to do much with that shoulder after the virus dies. The Blind Man doesn't use V-Bullets to attack the nerves."
"How do you know all of this?"
"I did my research after I was blinded by him. I didn't want anyone to be jumped by him anymore but now it seems that he's coming to kill you. Don't worry, he'll be quick."
Gene sighed and the man left. Gene walked home that night. Jim came around the corner quick, almost toppling the car, "Gene, get in the car now!"
"Why?"
"Gilliam says someone is sabotaging the ship!"
Gene hopped in and they drove to the space port. Gene fumbled his gun around due to his drunkenness.
"Gene, you're drunk! You can't fight!" Jim yelled.
"I know but you can't fight either and Gilliam can't do squawk in port so we're left with me."
"Ugh!" Jim yelled.
They reached the ship and took the elevator up. The door was blasted out of its hold, burnt around the frame. Gene and Jim ran in and saw nothing but destroyed monitors and panels.
"Gilliam! Are you online?!" Gene yelled.
A little cylinder streaked across the service bar, "Yes, Gene?"
"Where's the intruder?"
"He left already. He destroyed all of the panels, communications, computers, and engines. He swept through the ship like a storm. I never seen anything like it."
"How bad is the damage?" Gene asked.
"Extensive. It might be days before we could launch, if the ship would withstand it."
"That's just great!" Gene yelled, throwing his gun to the ground. "We're struck here. We're all gonna die. What else could go wrong?"
"But I didn't want my prey to run away," the Blind Man said from the metal path at the hatch.
"Damn you!" Gene quickly loaded a Caster Shell into his Caster Gun and fired.
The blast caused a bright light to temporarily blind Gene. After the light faded, Gene could see the Blind Man, stand there. He unloaded a powerful Light Shield that emitted from his wrists.
"Nice but not good enough. Better luck tomorrow."
The Blind Man leapt off of the catwalk and landed on the ground. Gene watched him scurry off. He slammed his fist into a metal frame. He looked at Jim, "Bring Melfina over here to help repair. I'll hold the fort at the Enterprise. Knowing him, he's probably already he'd there."
"I'll give you a lift, you're in no shape to drive."
Gene and Jim didn't talk the whole way back. Melfina hopped in the car as Gene got out. He went inside and went to sleep on the floor.
He awoke when he heard a loud metallic crash. He ran for his gun and opened the door. The Blind Man was standing there, next to a totaled car. It didn't look like Jim's car but it was so damaged that Gene couldn't tell.
"You do realize it's 12:05 P.M. I waited then I decided to come and look for you," the Blind Man said. "I don't like being stood up."
Gene looked at him, "So you want to fight now?"
"I'd rather not wait," he opened his coat, exposing his gun. "But if you want to go elsewhere, I'll agree. I don't like causing a scene."
People were gathering and watching. Gene looked the Blind Man, "Outskirts! Thirty minutes!'
"Very well. I'll hold you to that. If you don't show, I kill you wherever you are."
The Blind Man walked down the road. Gene walked back inside the building and got on the phone and called Gilliam.
"Yes, Gene?" Gilliam asked.
"Get Jim on the phone."
"He's sleeping, Gene."
"Tell! Him! To! Get! Up!"
"Okay, okay."
Gene waited for a few minutes then Jim's face appeared on the view screen, "What Gene?"
"I need you to come back to the Outskirts in thirty minutes."
"I thought you were fighting with that guy."
"I was late and he came to me, looking for me. Now I have to fight him in thirty, make that twenty minutes."
Jim sighed, "I'll get some equipment and to monitor the fight but I don't know what use it'll do."
"Just do it damnit!"
Gene slammed the phone back on the register. Gene went over to get his coat. As he but it on, he saw his Caster Gun on the table with eleven red Caster Shells, all of them upright. He grabbed all of them and the gun and ran out the door. He had no transportation to the Outskirts so he had to walk. Jim pulled up and let Gene in. They sped to the Outskirts. Jim parked away from the fight area to monitor the fight. Gene stood in the desert-like area. He watched the metal framing sticking out of the ground and the fallen buildings. The Blind Man would most likely attack him from the air but knowing the Blind Man, he's unpredictable.
"I'm glad to see you made it!" the Blind Man hollered. "I'm surprised you showed up!"
Gene turned to the Blind Man, who was standing on a corner of a fallen building. Gene looked at him. The Blind Man didn't have his trench coat on, showing off his black vest, the silver cloth running under it, and two long but not very thick bracelets which were the Light Shield generators. 'He's old-fashioned,' Gene thought.
"Shall we begin?" the Blind Man asked.
"Sure."
The Blind Man drew his gun and fired. Gene quickly dodged it and ran at him. The Blind Man leapt off of the corner and headed at Gene. Gene drew his Caster Gun and loaded a red shell. He fired and a large, electrical blast went at the Blind Man. The Blind Man slammed the Light Shield Bracelets together and the large, white shield appeared in front of him. The blast simply bounced off the shield into the sky.
"What kind of shield is that?" Gene asked out loud.
"The best kind," the Blind Man redrew his gun and fired again.
Gene was hit in the elbow, making his arm useless. Luckily, that wasn't the hand that was holding the Caster Gun. As Gene loaded another shell into his Caster Gun, the Blind Man ran at him. Before he could fire, the Blind Man kicked him in the chin, sending Gene backwards in the air. He lost his grip on the Caster Gun and let it go. The Blind Man put away his gun and began assaulting Gene with his fists and kicks. Eventually, Gene laid on the ground in a bruised and bloody mess. The Blind Man off when he noticed Gene stopped breathing. He walked over to Jim. Jim tried to escape by getting in the car but the Blind Man shot out its engine. He stood over Jim with his gun drawn, "It is a shame from all I heard about the crew about the Outlaw Star. You all were suppose to be the most deadliest of all outlaws. I guess not everything you hear is true."
Then a large electrical blast hit the Blind Man in the back of the head, launching him over the car. Jim looked to see Gene was standing up but bleeding. Jim ran over to help him stand. They both walked towards the car when the Blind Man got up, his silver cloth mask and fedora hat were gone. He turned to face them. Both Jim and Gene looked at him in awe. He wasn't blind but he had mechanical eyes. His face had scars running down from his eyes to his chin. Another scar ran along parallel with his eye level. He was a handsome man but his face made you want to turn away from him. Gene could see he was getting angry.
"You took my mask off of my face. You've seen my face. You will die, Gene Starwind!" the man yelled.
He drew out his Caster Gun and loaded it quickly with an orange shell. Gene shoved Jim out of the man's firing sight and loaded another shell. They pulled the trigger at once and cancelled each other's blasts. They loaded again, fired and cancelled each other out again. This went on for ten shots. Then they came down to their last shell, both red shells.
"A quick draw?" the Blind Man suggested in an angry tone.
"Okay," Gene agreed.
They put their Casters back into their holsters and stared at each other. Neither of them twitched nor took their eyes off of each other. The Blind Man drew first and fired. Gene lunged out of the way as it streaked past him. He drew and fired at the Blind Man. The blast moved too fast for him to block the blast. For a second, the Blind Man disappeared in the blast. When the bright light went down, the Blind Man sat laid there, staring at the sky. Gene, with the help of Jim, walked over to the Blind Man and looked down at him. Gene could see those mechanical eyes staring through him.
"Thank you, Gene Starwind," the Blind Man said. "You finally set me free."
The Blind Man stopped breathing. Gene and Jim walked to the car. Jim put Gene in the car and began to work on the engine. Jim finally got the engine working and they drove to the hospital. Gene went into surgery to get his wounds stitched up and his elbow to be set back into its joint and into a cast. Sazuka was better now, although her shoulder muscle was still very weak. Aisha was up on her feet again, although still wearing bandages. They were released to go home and mend up.
Gene sat there, staring at the sunset. He turned and saw Melfina standing there. She sat down next to him, joining him in staring. They sat there and watched the sun go down. Something caught Gene's eye. He looked down and saw a man digging a grave. He stood up and walked up to the glass. He saw the man and realized something. "It's the Blind Man," he said, relief in his voice.
Melfina ran to his side, "Is he coming back?"
"Nope," Gene replied.
The man threw the black trench coat, burnt fedora, and Caster Gun into the grave and refilled it with dirt. He stuck a large stone tablet into the ground. He looked up at Gene and saluted him goodbye. He dashed out of sight.
Later Gene went down to read the tablet. The message on it read, "Here lies the Blind Man that could see death but not his own. Congratulations to the man who took me down, Gene Starwind."
Gene smiled and walked back inside to sleep.
Gene sat in a bar, drinking some strong beer. He was already slightly drunk but still wanted more. He turned to look at some guy that was sitting at a table staring at him. He had a white cane and black sunglasses on. 'Must be blind. There's no way he can be staring at me,' Gene thought.
"Hey, you at the table," Gene slurred out. "You looking at me."
"Me? You could say I'm staring at you but not at your face."
"Then what?"
"Your conscious. I see something is bothering you," the man said gently. "What is it?"
Gene got up and sat down at the man's table. He didn't understand why he did it but he did it. "You see, I have this duel with some assassin guy named the Blind Man," Gene looked at the man. "It ain't you is it?"
"Of course not. How could I duel when I'm blind?"
"That's what bugs me. He says he can't see and yet he moves like someone I've never seen."
"Maybe he isn't blind."
"Perhaps but what the hell? I'm gonna get wasted and pass out somewhere."
"It isn't good to duel with a hangover."
"How would you know?"
The man took off his glasses, exposing replacement eyes, "Lost my eyes in a duel. I was blinded and the man took my eyes out of my head."
"Do you remember who?"
"Not really. Only that he wore a silver cloth mask and black trench coat."
"You dueled him and lived?"
"Yes, I did."
"Then maybe I got a chance."
"No you don't."
Gene looked at him, "What the hell you talking about? He let you live."
"That's exactly what I mean. He LET me live because he wasn't after my life. Only my eyes."
Gene's face turned grim, "Can you tell me anything about him?"
"Stay quiet. That's all I could tell you. If he is blind, he hears everything. With all of the money he accumulates, it wouldn't surprise me if he bought new eyes or better hearing. He's expensive but lives up to his word to finish the job."
"Why did he come after you?"
"I blinded a man in a fight. Little did I know that the man I fought was the son of a rich guy. The father called for the Blind Man and told him to blind me. As you can see, he did," the man put his sunglasses back on. "My advice is not to let your guard down. He's quick and may seem invincible but he is deadly to the bone. You can always try to get off of the planet. Normally, he doesn't travel but he might not notice if you're going to your ship, if you have one." The man yawned. "Well it is getting late."
"Wait, I need to ask you one more thing," Gene said.
"Yes, son?"
"My friend, she was shot by the Blind Man and is now infected with an unknown virus. Do you know how to treat her?"
"He used a Viral Bullet, a bullet the dissolves on contact with blood. He designed them. What is it doing to her?"
"The doctors think its attacking her nerves."
"Where did he shoot her?"
"In her shoulder."
"She'll be fine. The virus in her isn't going after the nerves, it after her shoulder muscles. She won't be able to do much with that shoulder after the virus dies. The Blind Man doesn't use V-Bullets to attack the nerves."
"How do you know all of this?"
"I did my research after I was blinded by him. I didn't want anyone to be jumped by him anymore but now it seems that he's coming to kill you. Don't worry, he'll be quick."
Gene sighed and the man left. Gene walked home that night. Jim came around the corner quick, almost toppling the car, "Gene, get in the car now!"
"Why?"
"Gilliam says someone is sabotaging the ship!"
Gene hopped in and they drove to the space port. Gene fumbled his gun around due to his drunkenness.
"Gene, you're drunk! You can't fight!" Jim yelled.
"I know but you can't fight either and Gilliam can't do squawk in port so we're left with me."
"Ugh!" Jim yelled.
They reached the ship and took the elevator up. The door was blasted out of its hold, burnt around the frame. Gene and Jim ran in and saw nothing but destroyed monitors and panels.
"Gilliam! Are you online?!" Gene yelled.
A little cylinder streaked across the service bar, "Yes, Gene?"
"Where's the intruder?"
"He left already. He destroyed all of the panels, communications, computers, and engines. He swept through the ship like a storm. I never seen anything like it."
"How bad is the damage?" Gene asked.
"Extensive. It might be days before we could launch, if the ship would withstand it."
"That's just great!" Gene yelled, throwing his gun to the ground. "We're struck here. We're all gonna die. What else could go wrong?"
"But I didn't want my prey to run away," the Blind Man said from the metal path at the hatch.
"Damn you!" Gene quickly loaded a Caster Shell into his Caster Gun and fired.
The blast caused a bright light to temporarily blind Gene. After the light faded, Gene could see the Blind Man, stand there. He unloaded a powerful Light Shield that emitted from his wrists.
"Nice but not good enough. Better luck tomorrow."
The Blind Man leapt off of the catwalk and landed on the ground. Gene watched him scurry off. He slammed his fist into a metal frame. He looked at Jim, "Bring Melfina over here to help repair. I'll hold the fort at the Enterprise. Knowing him, he's probably already he'd there."
"I'll give you a lift, you're in no shape to drive."
Gene and Jim didn't talk the whole way back. Melfina hopped in the car as Gene got out. He went inside and went to sleep on the floor.
He awoke when he heard a loud metallic crash. He ran for his gun and opened the door. The Blind Man was standing there, next to a totaled car. It didn't look like Jim's car but it was so damaged that Gene couldn't tell.
"You do realize it's 12:05 P.M. I waited then I decided to come and look for you," the Blind Man said. "I don't like being stood up."
Gene looked at him, "So you want to fight now?"
"I'd rather not wait," he opened his coat, exposing his gun. "But if you want to go elsewhere, I'll agree. I don't like causing a scene."
People were gathering and watching. Gene looked the Blind Man, "Outskirts! Thirty minutes!'
"Very well. I'll hold you to that. If you don't show, I kill you wherever you are."
The Blind Man walked down the road. Gene walked back inside the building and got on the phone and called Gilliam.
"Yes, Gene?" Gilliam asked.
"Get Jim on the phone."
"He's sleeping, Gene."
"Tell! Him! To! Get! Up!"
"Okay, okay."
Gene waited for a few minutes then Jim's face appeared on the view screen, "What Gene?"
"I need you to come back to the Outskirts in thirty minutes."
"I thought you were fighting with that guy."
"I was late and he came to me, looking for me. Now I have to fight him in thirty, make that twenty minutes."
Jim sighed, "I'll get some equipment and to monitor the fight but I don't know what use it'll do."
"Just do it damnit!"
Gene slammed the phone back on the register. Gene went over to get his coat. As he but it on, he saw his Caster Gun on the table with eleven red Caster Shells, all of them upright. He grabbed all of them and the gun and ran out the door. He had no transportation to the Outskirts so he had to walk. Jim pulled up and let Gene in. They sped to the Outskirts. Jim parked away from the fight area to monitor the fight. Gene stood in the desert-like area. He watched the metal framing sticking out of the ground and the fallen buildings. The Blind Man would most likely attack him from the air but knowing the Blind Man, he's unpredictable.
"I'm glad to see you made it!" the Blind Man hollered. "I'm surprised you showed up!"
Gene turned to the Blind Man, who was standing on a corner of a fallen building. Gene looked at him. The Blind Man didn't have his trench coat on, showing off his black vest, the silver cloth running under it, and two long but not very thick bracelets which were the Light Shield generators. 'He's old-fashioned,' Gene thought.
"Shall we begin?" the Blind Man asked.
"Sure."
The Blind Man drew his gun and fired. Gene quickly dodged it and ran at him. The Blind Man leapt off of the corner and headed at Gene. Gene drew his Caster Gun and loaded a red shell. He fired and a large, electrical blast went at the Blind Man. The Blind Man slammed the Light Shield Bracelets together and the large, white shield appeared in front of him. The blast simply bounced off the shield into the sky.
"What kind of shield is that?" Gene asked out loud.
"The best kind," the Blind Man redrew his gun and fired again.
Gene was hit in the elbow, making his arm useless. Luckily, that wasn't the hand that was holding the Caster Gun. As Gene loaded another shell into his Caster Gun, the Blind Man ran at him. Before he could fire, the Blind Man kicked him in the chin, sending Gene backwards in the air. He lost his grip on the Caster Gun and let it go. The Blind Man put away his gun and began assaulting Gene with his fists and kicks. Eventually, Gene laid on the ground in a bruised and bloody mess. The Blind Man off when he noticed Gene stopped breathing. He walked over to Jim. Jim tried to escape by getting in the car but the Blind Man shot out its engine. He stood over Jim with his gun drawn, "It is a shame from all I heard about the crew about the Outlaw Star. You all were suppose to be the most deadliest of all outlaws. I guess not everything you hear is true."
Then a large electrical blast hit the Blind Man in the back of the head, launching him over the car. Jim looked to see Gene was standing up but bleeding. Jim ran over to help him stand. They both walked towards the car when the Blind Man got up, his silver cloth mask and fedora hat were gone. He turned to face them. Both Jim and Gene looked at him in awe. He wasn't blind but he had mechanical eyes. His face had scars running down from his eyes to his chin. Another scar ran along parallel with his eye level. He was a handsome man but his face made you want to turn away from him. Gene could see he was getting angry.
"You took my mask off of my face. You've seen my face. You will die, Gene Starwind!" the man yelled.
He drew out his Caster Gun and loaded it quickly with an orange shell. Gene shoved Jim out of the man's firing sight and loaded another shell. They pulled the trigger at once and cancelled each other's blasts. They loaded again, fired and cancelled each other out again. This went on for ten shots. Then they came down to their last shell, both red shells.
"A quick draw?" the Blind Man suggested in an angry tone.
"Okay," Gene agreed.
They put their Casters back into their holsters and stared at each other. Neither of them twitched nor took their eyes off of each other. The Blind Man drew first and fired. Gene lunged out of the way as it streaked past him. He drew and fired at the Blind Man. The blast moved too fast for him to block the blast. For a second, the Blind Man disappeared in the blast. When the bright light went down, the Blind Man sat laid there, staring at the sky. Gene, with the help of Jim, walked over to the Blind Man and looked down at him. Gene could see those mechanical eyes staring through him.
"Thank you, Gene Starwind," the Blind Man said. "You finally set me free."
The Blind Man stopped breathing. Gene and Jim walked to the car. Jim put Gene in the car and began to work on the engine. Jim finally got the engine working and they drove to the hospital. Gene went into surgery to get his wounds stitched up and his elbow to be set back into its joint and into a cast. Sazuka was better now, although her shoulder muscle was still very weak. Aisha was up on her feet again, although still wearing bandages. They were released to go home and mend up.
Gene sat there, staring at the sunset. He turned and saw Melfina standing there. She sat down next to him, joining him in staring. They sat there and watched the sun go down. Something caught Gene's eye. He looked down and saw a man digging a grave. He stood up and walked up to the glass. He saw the man and realized something. "It's the Blind Man," he said, relief in his voice.
Melfina ran to his side, "Is he coming back?"
"Nope," Gene replied.
The man threw the black trench coat, burnt fedora, and Caster Gun into the grave and refilled it with dirt. He stuck a large stone tablet into the ground. He looked up at Gene and saluted him goodbye. He dashed out of sight.
Later Gene went down to read the tablet. The message on it read, "Here lies the Blind Man that could see death but not his own. Congratulations to the man who took me down, Gene Starwind."
Gene smiled and walked back inside to sleep.